Arizona Medical Marijuana Qualification

Who Qualifies for Medicinal Marijuana in Arizona

Arizona Medical Marijuana Qualifications

On November 2, 2010, Arizona Proposition 203 (AKA the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act) was approved by 50.13% of voters. Proposition 203 removes state-level criminal penalties on the use and possession of medical marijuana (also referred to as medical weed, medical pot or medical cannabis) by qualifying patients who obtain a recommendation from an Arizona licensed physician and register with the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS). The law requires the ADHS to establish a registration and renewal application system for patients and nonprofit dispensaries, as well as a web-based verification system for law enforcement and dispensaries to verify registry identification cards. As the law is in its infancy, this system is still in the process of being established.

How to Qualify for Medical Marijuana in Arizona

Must be a resident of Arizona.

Obtain an authenticated, written certificationfrom a doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathic medicine, naturopathic physician or homeopathic physician licensed in the state of Arizona that states that you have been diagnosed with a debilitating condition and that you would likely receive benefit from marijuana Patients can find a medical marijuana doctor in Arizona here.

Note: You may be required to bring a copy of your medical records to your marijuana evaluation appointment, indicating diagnosis of a qualifying condition as listed below. Learn how to request your medical records.

Once you have received your marijuana recommendation, you must register with the Arizona Department of Health Services to obtain a Medical Marijuana card.

What Ailments Can Be Treated with Medical Cannabis in Arizona?

Patients in Arizona diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under Proposition 203:

2. A chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition or its treatment that produces one or more of the following: cachexia or wasting syndrome; severe and chronic pain; severe nausea; seizures, including those characteristic of epilepsy; or severe and persistent muscle spasms, including those characteristic of multiple sclerosis.

Medical Marijuana Access in Arizona

Some medical marijuana patients will claim they have a doctor's prescription for medical marijuana, but marijuana prescriptions are in fact illegal. The federal government classifies marijuana as a schedule I drug. Therefore doctors are unable to prescribe marijuana to their patients, and medical marijuana patients cannot go to a pharmacy to fill a prescription for medical marijuana. Instead, medical marijuana physicians will supply patients with a medical marijuana recommendation in compliance with state law.

Cultivation and possession limits: Qualified patients or their caregivers may obtain up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana in a 14-day period from a registered nonprofit medical marijuana dispensary. The law allows the certification of a number of non-profit dispensaries not to exceed 10% of the number of pharmacies in the state (which would be about 124). If the patient lives more than 25 miles from the nearest dispensary, the patient or caregiver may cultivate up to 12 marijuana plants in an enclosed, locked facility.

Notice: ADHS suspended the dispensary portion of the Medical Marijuana Act until the end of a lawsuit. Before filling out your application, you may want to consider whether or not you will need a caregiver and you may want to request to cultivate or designate a caregiver during the application process. Please note that if you choose to designate a caregiver for this purpose, you as a patient cannot also cultivate. Once you have designated a caregiver, the caregiver application process must also be completed. The designated caregiver application can be completed at: http://www.azdhs.gov/medicalmarijuana/caregivers/index.htm. Please take special note of caregiver-specific application instructions.